REMINDER AND UPDATE: REQUIREMENT FOR INSTRUCTION IN THE RESPONSIBLECONDUCT OF RESEARCH IN NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARD INSTITUTIONAL
TRAINING GRANTS
NIH GUIDE, Volume 23, Number 23, June 17, 1994
P.T. 44
Keywords:
Ethics/Values in Science & Technol
Grants Administration/Policy+
National Institutes of Health
Since July 1990, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has required
all applications for Institutional National Research Service Award
(NRSA) Research Training Grants (T32, T34) to include a description
of a program to provide instruction in the responsible conduct of
research. This requirement was announced in the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts on December 22, 1989 (Vol. 18, No. 45), and again on
August 17, 1990 (Vol. 19, No. 30).
With this notice, the NIH updates and reinforces the commitment to
ensure that all NRSA supported trainees are provided an opportunity
for training in the responsible conduct of research. Plans for
instruction in the responsible conduct of research will continue to
be required in all applications for institutional NRSA research
training grants. But, beginning with applications for research
training grants received on or after January 10, 1993, this
requirement will be modified as follows:
o Applications without plans for instruction in the responsible
conduct of research will be considered incomplete and will be
returned to the applicant without review.
o Every predoctoral and postdoctoral NRSA trainee supported by a T32
or T34 institutional research training grant must receive instruction
in the responsible conduct of research.
o Plans that incorporate instruction in the responsible conduct of
research for all graduate students and postdoctorates in a training
program or department, regardless of the source of support, are
particularly encouraged.
o Although the NIH will not establish specific curriculum or format
requirements, all programs are strongly encouraged to consider
instruction in the following areas: conflict of interest,
responsible authorship, policies for handling misconduct, policies
regarding the use of human and animal subjects, and data management.
o Plans must address: the subject matter of the instruction, the
format of the instruction, the degree of faculty participation,
trainee attendance, and the frequency of instruction. A rationale
for the proposed plan of instruction must be provided.
o Progress reports on the type of instruction provided, topics
covered, and other relevant information such as attendance by
trainees and faculty participation must be included in future
competing and noncompeting applications.
The procedures for the review of the plans for instruction in the
responsible conduct of research will be as follows:
o At initial review, one or more reviewer(s) will be assigned to
evaluate the plan for providing training in the responsible conduct
of research.
o The plan will be discussed after the overall determination of
merit so that the quality of the plan will not be a factor in the
determination of the priority score.
o The assessment of the plan will include consideration of the
appropriateness of the topics, the format, the amount and nature of
faculty participation, and the frequency and duration of instruction.
Plans will be judged either acceptable or unacceptable.
o The plan and its acceptability will be described in an
administrative note in the summary statement.
o Regardless of the priority score, applications with unacceptable
plans will not be funded until a revised, acceptable plan is provided
by the applicant. The acceptability of the revised plan will be
judged by staff within the awarding component at the NIH.
INQUIRIES
The contact for general information about this policy is:
Dr. Walter T. Schaffer
Director, Research Training and Special Programs Office
National Institutes of Health
Building 31, Room 5B44
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 496-9743
Questions regarding a specific training program or grant application
should be directed to the appropriate NIH Institute.
.